Battle with the Black Bear

Before winter arrives each year, black bears become exceptionally active. They won't let any food that enters their sight go to waste. Wang Anfeng had known this since he was young, but even in scary stories told to children, such robust beasts had never appeared.

With all four paws on the ground, it was already a head taller than Wang Anfeng. As it reared its head and roared, a foul, bloody stench assaulted him. Its eyes greedily fixed on the youth, muscles rippling beneath its fur. It lunged forward. Wang Anfeng's pupils contracted, and his footwork shifted. The bear's claws grazed his clothes as it passed. Seizing the opportunity, he landed a heavy punch on the giant beast's abdomen.

As his fist struck, the chains clanged, but only a muffled thud was heard. Wang Anfeng clearly felt that his punch's force was almost instantly reduced by its oily fur. The remaining power sank into the fat like a stone into the sea, leaving nothing behind. His expression shifted slightly.

"Roar roar roar!"

The black bear roared, planting three paws and swinging its right claw forward, bringing a gust of wind towards Wang Anfeng's chest. The youth shifted his stance, trying to dodge, but he was too close from attacking. Although the black bear was clumsy and slow, its attacks were extremely swift. He only retreated half a step before the bear's paw heavily swept across his body.

The bear's claw collided with the chains, emitting a piercing screech. The youth was sent flying, crashing heavily against an old tree.

Crack!

The tree instantly splintered. Wang Anfeng's face turned pale, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He felt that the immense force of the paw was almost insurmountable, leaving his mind blank for a moment. However, the willpower forged through extreme hardship drove his body to roll again, making a dodging motion. In the spot where he had just been, the old tree was completely shattered.

Energy erupted outwards. The power of that palm was in no way inferior to some martial arts masters in Uncle Li's storybooks.

The black bear seemed to confirm that the creature before it was not its opponent. Its posture became noticeably more relaxed as it slowly walked towards Wang Anfeng in a menacing manner. The youth struggled to stand up, his surging Blood Essence not yet recovered.

As the black bear approached within a few steps, it suddenly reared up, roaring, and brought a palm down on Wang Anfeng's head. The momentum was violent, several times more powerful and terrifying than the previous two strikes. This made Wang Anfeng's hair stand on end, his Blood Essence surging, adding a third of his strength. He ducked, narrowly avoiding the palm.

Seeing the black bear's body momentarily stiffen from its immense power, Wang Anfeng gritted his teeth fiercely and leaped up as if seeking death. He grabbed its right arm with one hand and, as if brushing past death, leaped to the black bear's nape, grabbing its thick neck fur with both hands.

He had noticed it earlier: the black bear's paws couldn't reach behind it.

He let out a soft breath. The youth's right arm flicked, and the chains loosened and dangled before being grabbed by his left hand. With a sudden heave of both arms, the chains let out a sharp clang, pulling taut and pressing tightly against the black bear's throat. The youth's eyes widened, his normally clear pupils filled with the fierce light of someone pushed to their absolute limit.

His body, which theoretically had reached its limit, now unleashed an explosive power no less than its peak. The dark, ink-like chains tightened instantly. In the dense forest, the black bear's pained, furious roars and the young man's angry shouts echoed simultaneously.

Meanwhile, in Great Liang Village, eight horses kicked up dust as they arrived. The tall man at the forefront wore fine clothes. Beside him, on a little pony, was a boy of about twelve or thirteen, his face full of curiosity as he surveyed the surroundings. His occasional light laughter made the fine-clothed man's expression grow even more gloomy.

He truly regretted why he had let that carpenter make things for his son...

He regretted even more why he had agreed to let his son personally receive the 'goods'.

What angered him most was the long tongue of that carpenter boss; he wished he could cut it off and feed it to the dogs! The carpenter had claimed to have one or two interesting pieces of news to entertain the young master. If not for that, how would Xiujie have seen the wood whose broken ends were all fist marks?

The group of several people stopped their horses in the village. The young man eagerly dismounted. Behind him, a tall, strong man also dismounted, carrying a man in a short tunic. The latter was also quite sturdy, but the bumpy journey and being held in someone's hand had left his legs weak upon landing. He almost stumbled to his knees.

The young man had already trotted over, his eyes bright. "The person you mentioned earlier, the one who can carry trees, is here?"

The man's stomach was still churning, but upon hearing the youth's question, he forced a fawning smile and said, "Yes, yes, yes. A month ago, I came here to collect that wood."

"At the time, I felt it was a cause for celebration because I had finally found good wood for the young master, so I even gave the tea stall owner an ounce of silver."

The youth's joy increased, but the strong man frowned slightly. He grabbed the hunched man and tossed him aside, then strode towards the tea stall. It was already October, and the weather was cold, yet the strong man wore only a single layer of clothing, with his bare arms revealing bulging muscles that were quite terrifying. He cast a shadow over the tea stall worker.

Though his appearance was fierce, he was extremely polite. He first cupped his fist in a salute before asking, "Shopkeeper, I apologize for the intrusion. I have a matter to inquire about. Please forgive me if I disturb you."

The tea stall worker glanced at his arms, which were as thick as his own thighs, and secretly swallowed. He chuckled dryly, "You, you may speak..."

"May I ask if what the person just said is true?"

Hearing the question, the worker's heart relaxed slightly. "If you're referring to the young man who carried the tree, he does exist... his name is Wang Anfeng, and he grew up in Great Liang Village."

He then complained, "But that ounce of silver was really just fooling people..." He suddenly realized that by saying the man was fooling people, he had also insulted the young man. His face turned slightly pale. However, the strong man merely smiled slightly, tossed down a silver coin, and said, "Now, what I said is true..."

With that, he nodded slightly, turned, and strode back towards the fine-clothed man, reporting in a low voice. The fine-clothed man frowned slightly. "You did well, but there really is such a person... Xiujie has been obsessed with Biographies of Wandering Knights lately and has no interest in the martial artists around him. He's only fixated on those rural rumors... This is the seventh one. I've spent money to bring a bunch of swindlers into the mansion. If they weren't honest enough, I'd break their legs and throw them out."

He spoke with a hint of resentment, gritting his teeth, but because the young man was not far away, he could only speak in a low voice, looking extremely stifled.

The strong man smiled slightly. "That tea stall worker is only seventeen or eighteen. He said he watched the young man grow up, so the young man is likely only thirteen or fourteen. I've seen those fist marks. Even if someone wanted to fake it, they would need some skill in Fist techniques. Why don't we... provoke the young master's 'masters' a little and have them spar with that young man?"

"If this young man is truly a swindler, it will also show the young master their foolishness. It won't be difficult to enlighten him later. If he truly has skill, we can first drive away these martial arts swindlers, and second, if there really is such a young man, I will apologize for my rudeness on the spot, and the young master should sincerely treat him. This is an opportunity."

The fine-clothed man rolled his eyes. "You don't need to tell me... Although those rotten melons and stinking eggs have no skill, aren't we, after all, using that child? Apologizing and compensating is only right?"

"Even if he is a swindler, we should apologize. Him being a swindler is his business, but us apologizing is our business. How can we lose our integrity when we walk the path of righteousness? Besides, if he truly has such Fist techniques at thirteen or fourteen, I'd carry him back in a grand sedan chair..."

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.